Stranger Things: 10 Hidden Details About Will You Never Noticed

Will Byers (played by Noah Schnapp) has been an important character in Stranger Things since the first season. He is connected to many of the other characters, being the son and brother of Joyce and Jonathan Byers, respectively. He is also close friends with Mike Wheeler, Lucas Sinclair, and Dustin Henderson, with Eleven and Max Mayfield later joining this group.

Will’s disappearance in the first season set off a chain of events that led the storyline to where it is now. Despite being such a tenured character, there are still things that are not known by all concerning Will. Read on to find out what ten of these things are.

10 He’s Closer To Mike Than The Other Boys

While Will is close with all three of the other main teenage male characters in the show, he seems especially close to Mike. Notably, Mike was the one spearheading the search for his friend during his disappearance and was also shown crying when he believed Will to be dead. Likewise, Will spends the most time with Mike after his return.

It is later explained that Mike and Will were friends with each other before the rest of the group. The pair met in Kindergarten, with Lucas also befriending them later on. Dustin didn’t move to Hawkins until fourth grade.

9 He’s Lost Two Father Figures At A Young Age

In the first season, it is well-established that Joyce Byers is raising Will and his older brother Jonathan as a single mother. Their father, Lonnie, has left and is now living with another woman. As such, Will did not have a father figure in his life.

During the second season, Joyce starts dating her former High School classmate Bob Newby, who becomes a paternal figure of sorts to Will. However, Bob is killed before the end of the season after heroically rescuing other characters. Thus, Will has lost another figure although this one is much more permanent.

8 Comes Across As Younger Than The Others…Despite Being The Same Age

Compared to his friends, Will seems to be the baby of the group. Or, at the very least, a little bit younger than the others. However, it has already been established that all four are in the same grade through dialogue and in season two when they are all in a classroom together.

The explanation for this is more connected to real life than the show itself. Noah Schnapp is two years younger than Finn Wolfhard and Gaten Matarazzo as well as being three years younger than Caleb McLaughlin. While this might not seem like a lot in relative terms, it is a very noticeable difference in kids. It seems this may have seeped into the characters’ onscreen dynamic also.

7 Wasn’t Always A Regular Character

Despite Will being a key character in the first season through his disappearance, he was not always a regular fixture on the show. All the other kids featured in that season – Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Caleb McLaughlin, and Gaten Matarazzo – were part of the main cast and credited alongside the adult actors.

Due to not being present in Hawkins, Will featured much less and this was presumably the reason why he was a recurring character. Nonetheless, Schnapp was promoted to series regular for the second season onwards.

6 Worked Closely With A Counterpart From The ’80s

The Goonies and Stand By Me are examples of classic 1980s films that involved kids at the center of the action. Stranger Things is set in this era and follows the mold by having the core group of children as the primary characters of the series. In the second season, these two worlds collided.

Sean Astin, who appeared in season two is also very well-known for his work as a child actor. One of his best-known projects was The Goonies. Now, in essence, it was almost like Will and “Mikey” were sharing the screen.

5 Rarely Onscreen With Eleven

Despite being two of the series’ major characters, Will and Eleven have barely shared any screentime. In the first season, Will was largely missing while Eleven aided his friends in Hawkins during their search. In season two, Eleven was the one missing for part of it and Will was on the brink of death when she returned.

That being said, it seems they will share more onscreen moments as Eleven left Hawkins with Will and his family. Ironically, in real life, the actors who play the pair; Noah Schnapp and Millie Bobby Brown, are very close friends.

4 He’s A Mirror Opposite of Mike

While Will and Mike are friends and share a lot in common, there are also differences between the two. Mike is loud, confident and has an older sister.  Will is quieter, sensitive and has a brother around the same age as Nancy, Mike’s older sister. These tenuous commonalities may be part of the reason why they became close.

Another example of this is although Mike is in a romantic relationship with Eleven/Jane, Will gains her as a sister of sorts by the end of season three. Again, the opposite dynamic with her.

3 He’s The Odd Man Out In Every Season

When you’re a kid, one of the most important things is to blend in and be like everyone else. Yet, in every season of Stranger Things, Will is not experiencing something that all of his core friends; Mike, Lucas and Dustin, are. Or, Will is the only one going through an experience which his friends do not share.

For example, in the first season, Will is the only one of the four to go missing in the Upside Down. In season two, he is the only one to be possessed. Finally, in season three, only Will is not in a romantic relationship while all three of the other boys are.

2 His Sexuality’s Been Hinted At

In the timeline of Stranger Things, it is important to remember that Will is just a child. He is also growing up in a more innocent time than the present day.  Yet, there are certain questions being presented that are impossible not to notice.

There have been a few subtle hints that Will may not be heterosexual. In season one, his mother Joyce mentions that his father Lonnie had used homophobic slurs to insult their son. In season three, while in an argument with Mike, there is a comment made that Will “doesn’t like girls”. This could be interpreted that Will is not romantically interested yet…or that he isn’t at all.

1 He’s The Reason That Some Adult Characters Are Involved In The Story

As a character, Will primarily interacts with those who are the same age. However, directly or not, he is also the reason that some of the major adult characters became involved with the Upside Down and its complications. In some instances, this has negatively impacted these people’s lives.

This includes his mother Joyce and brother Jonathan who of course missed Will and wanted to find him during the first season. There is also Police Chief Jim Hopper, who led the search for Will and eventually became involved in the larger group helping to keep Hawkins safe on multiple occasions.

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